1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-purpose ‘Silent Teacher’ garment in the form of a vest which children of all ages are eager to wear and which easily accepts the shoulder strap of a vehicle seat belt system while allowing children to attach various articles such as toys, pockets and patches thereto for their enjoyment and to make statements concerning a variety of subjects, and which additionally encourages the children to develop the habit of ‘Think Safety First’, always using seat belt safety equipment in automobiles, shopping carts, or any moving vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
“Click It Or Ticket!” is a concise phrase which summarizes the law regarding the mandatory use of vehicle seat belts in virtually every state of the United States and in many foreign countries.
The phrase also is applicable to the requirement under the law which requires that children 4 to 8 years of age, or under 80 pounds must be secured in a safety ‘Booster’ seat which is in turn secured relative to the vehicle seat by the vehicle seat belt system.
However, most children resent being tied down, dislike being treated like a baby, and battle against being restrained by any safety belt system, thereby causing stress between parent and child and resulting in serious injuries and even death to unrestrained children during motor vehicle accidents and in falls from shopping carts.
There are a wide variety of harnesses and garments in the prior art for wear by children for use with vehicle seat belt systems. However, most are expensive, cumbersome, difficult to put on or take off, uncomfortable to wear, fail to encourage good safety habits or seat belt use, and are not appealing or attractive to children.
In addition, while the prior art discloses garments to which various indicia may be applied, the garments have no utility in teaching the wearer to form good social habits and fail to impart a message which encourages seat belt use.